Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-04-07
npIvaTE PROPERTY IN LAND

Dow Father Higgins, 8. j.. recently de-
,,-anod on address before large and APP
oiotiya audience in Cincinnati, having
~ his subject the philosophlc basis OF
r"onertv in general and of landed proper
-, narticular, He addressed himself
Larry GEORGES land theories, sub
,oo,ino the arguments advanced In their
49, 70 the test of merciless logic. lie
said in substance:
Clearing the field OF all side issues, we
m straight to the point in question, tne
tss,ice or Injustice Of property in land.
The arguments OF Mr.. george are manly
iiirocted TO prove that land is of such
u liS as to be incapable OF ever right
r'Ilv becoming private properly. me
nh'of of these arguments are the follow
Ing: ..Iu souroa or
,;,la nj ownership is the making or pro-
snc,ng of a thing that Is the labor or pro-
I"otion Now, il IS evident that land Is
s sot me product OF labor. Hence it can
nevpr rlghtfully become private property.
IN this argument the first proposition Is
snsoluteIy false; the second is amoigu-
ana and Of course from such premises
mere can be no conclusions.
The making or producing OF thing ls
.oitber the original nor the exclusive
source of ownership. The product Of
sour labor is yours provided the materials
gro yours. You do not make the materials;
Won appropriate and Tse them. There
must therefore, be some just title to
nronprty antecedent to the making or pro-
fncTion ola thing. What is IL? If you
Oonnot take possession OF the materials
AMI make them your own, there can be no
rrouerry of any kind. Not even the COM
mnnity can own land on Mr.. Georges
nrinciuIe. for its labor has not made or
/ iroduced it. 1t is evident, therefore, that
/ ere must be in man right TO occupy
| as his own, and to appropriate the mate
4 rial yitts OF nature, which he needs for
the support OF life.
/ > That the land and all it's treasures
we're givea to all men in common is
true In one sense, false IN another. Mr..
! George takes il in q p sitive seuse-as il
natuTe gave to all men q real, positive
ownership OF the whole earth. This is
simply absurd, for real, positive owner
shin involves the right TO exclude all
4 otbers, This belongs to the very essence
i of ownership. 10 say, then, that all men
lave an actual, positive ownership OF the
land is The same as to say that everyone
has right to exclude everyone else,
and as all are equal, they all eventual
" exclude each other aud are eX-
Guided. In other words, there is no own
ership at all. The phrase: mature gave
the land to all men in common" is true
In the negative sense, as indicating that
nature made no division, gave nothing to
individuals, but meant her gifts for all, ,
4 supplytng the means of subsistence to all
i IS the reward of their eXertion. What
kind OF right does such gift conferl
/ only an abstract right; only the right to
| become an owner by personal activity
! and labor.
3, All men have the same right to the
4 land as they have to light and air. An
| other sophism. The land ia necessary for
! the human race, but there Is no need that
every individual should till the soil. The
land is capable OF becoming personal
property; light and air are not capable of
1 being owned. These cannot be so pos
/ sessed and held by one as to exclude all
others from their possession and use.
They are, therefore. incapable of bec0m-
4 ing any ones property, for property or
ownership essentially involves the exclu-
siOn OF others.
4. All men have equal rights. There
/ fore no individual and no generation can
4 rightfully appropriate the land which is
/ given to all. Can the first conner at a
banquet turn down all the chairs and re-
fuse to let others share in the feast? Can
the first who arrives at a theatre shut the
door and keep all the others outt Surely
not. The first to arrive at banquet can
turn back one chair Tor himself and leave
the same right to the next corners. So it
Is with the land. That one individual or
one generation occupies and owns a GER
tain portion of land works no wrong to
to those who come after. AS men,
thelr rights are equal; they all have pre-
ulsely the same right to become owners,
The same rights to till the land. But one
generation by Its own positive exertion
and labor has established right to GER
IAN deinlle, concrete objects to which
The next generation can lay no claim. In
us turn 1t may become the owner OF prep
erty, including land, but 1t has no right
70 GUST the preceding generation from the
property which its labor has rightfully
earned. The true source of property is
10 De found not in mans right to himself,
@Ar. George imagines, for man does not
UelOng to himself, but to his Maker: it Is
70 be found In mans needs rather than in
Dis right; the need Of clothing and other
Iscessarles OF life, the duty of SELF
preservation, the corresponding right
the means OF self-support. Add to
Inls MS personal independence as man,
Snich gives him right to exclude others
nom that which he needs, and you have
we original source of property, at least
Vlthat which perishes with use. Urged
tne same needs, bound by the same
eaty OF providing Tor the complex life OF
.tlhseli and family, man taxes possession
la portion OF the land. This, as mere
ala, as the loans and clays to be worked
SSPoy MS labor, is precisely ON the same
wVlng as the other crude materials
, "uIeh ne must use to make anything he
IIseas' Into this land he puts his time,
rs patience, his hopes, his anxieties; he
"alers II with his sweat. He makes it
yat OF himself. He stamps 1t with
s1, sign and seal OF his person
sny, so that 1t clings to him and
SSe.ongs to him by an exclusive
, 1ue' Inis is ownership. Ibis makes
Via rsisnd his property; his against all the
,%vllo. And his right to TINS piece OF
~ au mas been recognized by the iudg-
:, e a ana laws OF mankind In every period
mMunilZatlon. The Old and New Tesla
sTalt .S explicitly ackno Wedge the actual
sSio 9'ence and exercise OF private owner.
ts,p al vi land; the Catholic Church, through
ts su uoctors aud theologians, has always
,o'ssn t tne justice or it; it has been prac-
moNL w tne wlsest, ablest and best OF
s"S'ihlnd; II Is embodied in the CUSTOM
in institutions of every civilized State !;
tstio "oiu' II Is the expression OF mans
eorG Val va. nature, and therefore in full &C
Twin WIN natural justice.